Chapter 142 We Have To Go Stop The Stampede
On that day, our clan ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ was preparing for a complete conquest of [God's Remains Labyrinth] with the explorer guild's scouting unit.
We, ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, were suddenly summoned by the explorer guild and gathered at the guild's third floor, great hall.
But, the only ones present in the hall were the 3 of us――me, Io, and Fiona. The other clan members were waiting in a different part of the guild.
The reason was simple: there just wasn't enough space in the hall for everyone.
Inside the great hall, aside from ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, other explorer clans and parties had gathered. It seemed like they had called in every Expert and Advanced explorer clan and party.
Clan masters, party leaders, and others were all gathered, exchanging information and chatting loudly. The space was so noisy that you couldn't even have a conversation with the person next to you unless you shouted.
Just by lending an ear, I could hear the loud voices of the explorers discussing something.
"Is it true that another Great Outbreak happened inside the labyrinth?!"
"That's why we were all gathered here, right?!"
"Wait, didn't we just finally settle things down the other day?! What's going on now?!"
"I don't know, but I wanna hear about it!"
"Don't you think the guys from ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ know something?!"
"――Sorry, but even we don't have a clue!!"
Io responded to the explorers' loud, angry questions, shouting back at them in a similar tone.
As we waited for a while, the door to the conference room opened, and the Guild Master appeared, accompanied by a secretary.
"""―――!?"""
In an instant, the noisy explorers who had been making a racket fell silent all at once.
I guess that's what they mean by a Guild Master, huh? It seems like he still have the charisma to control those rough-looking guys... and,
"Lie... Hey, is he okay...!?"
Fiona whispered beside me, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
Her gaze was fixed on the Guild Master, who was led by the secretary to the platform at the front of the conference room.
I gave her a reassuring smile to ease her concerns.
"...Don't worry. He's not in any danger right now..."
"Now, what... Aaron, do you know something?"
"Ahhh... the Guild Master is just a little... under the weather..."
I couldn't tell her that it was because of the soup she had made, which was really a form of torture.
Io didn't realize that Fiona was the one who made that soup, but he was still averting his gaze with a pained expression. He was there, after all.
"That's right... it's tough..."
My words made Fiona look at the Guild Master with a worried gaze.
And then,
"Wait, what... is that the Guild Master?"
"He's lost so much weight..."
"He's not just thin, he's haggard..."
"No, it's like he's aged suddenly..."
"Umm... maybe it's from mental fatigue or overwork..."
"Yeah, he must have been really busy during the last Great Outbreak..."
――Well, the explorers whisper to each other because the muscular and age-inappropriate guild leader's appearance is a bit of a mess. They were worried, and I'm sure anyone with common sense would be too.
Of course, I was worried too.
I never thought things would turn out like this...!!
As I was freaking out about what I had done, the guildmaster, whose eyes were still super sharp, opened his mouth quietly.
"...Some of you might already know, but yesterday, a Great Outbreak happened in the labyrinth."
The explorers' faces turned serious as they realized the rumors were true.
The guildmaster looked around at each of their faces and started speaking in a serious tone.
"The guild detected the warning signs yesterday morning. And according to our investigation, the labyrinth was completely transformed into a Great Outbreak state by last night. Monsters are appearing way faster than last time. But despite that, we've only confirmed a few explorer deaths. Only four people, to be exact."
Were they caught off guard by the sudden Great Outbreak, or did they just get killed by monsters?
Four people isn't a lot. It's within the normal range.
So, even though not many explorers got "eaten" by the labyrinth, a Great Outbreak still happened... What does that mean?
"This time, the cause of the Great Outbreak is different from last time. It's not because of strong monsters like Unique Individuals. It's probably because someone or something is feeding the labyrinth, making it happen on purpose."
Including me, the people gathered here had deep wrinkles etched on their foreheads.
"Feed..."――The moment I mumbled the word, I thought those present would immediately understand. It's clear that someone, or something, has been brought here from somewhere, or carried in, and is human.
"Anyway, we can't let the monsters get too crowded, or it won't be safe to send anyone below Intermediate job into the labyrinth. I'm sure you're all aware of this already, but just like last time, we need your cooperation to end the Great Outbreak. ――You don't have any objections, right?"
No one objected.
"Alright, so let's talk about how we're going to deal with this. First..."
Just as the Guild Leader was about to continue, someone interrupted him.
"――Citizens of Necronia! Good day!"
A magically amplified voice burst in from the streets into the conference room.
* * *
"......"
The sudden, abrupt speech continued for a while.
When it finally ended, the conference room was enveloped in silence.
Then, the explorers started chattering all at once.
"What was that voice just now?"
"Where did it come from?"
"Wait, didn't we hear that voice before?"
"Lie... impossible..."
Many people seemed to have an idea who the speaker was. Those who realized it had shocked expressions on their faces.
"Logan... what is he thinking?"
Io muttered the name with a sorrowful expression.
"He's alive... right?"
Fiona said, but even Io couldn't be happy about Logan being alive, given the unsettling content of the sudden speech.
Moreover...
"Looks like we're too late, after all."
We, the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, were trying to completely conquer the [God's Remains Labyrinth], but it seems that the masterminds behind the "Stampede" were one step ahead of us.
I don't know why it turned out like this, but...
"Io, it seems that Logan was working with the other side..."
"Nuh..."
Io made a face like he had bitten into a hundred bitter bugs at once, but he couldn't deny my words.
Even someone with a dull sense of magical energy would have noticed by now. The massive amount of magical energy reactions coming from the center of Necronia is increasing by the minute.
That can only mean one thing――the Stampede is happening.
There's no time to waste. I stood up quickly.
"――Where are you going, Aaron?"
The guildmaster asked, looking at me with a sharp gaze.
I replied in a loud voice that echoed throughout the meeting room.
"What's wrong with you, old man? We can't just sit around in a meeting anymore! We have to go stop the Stampede, now!"
In the [God's Remains Labyrinth], the Stampede starts from the inside of the city. If we're slow to react, the damage will be too great to recover from.
The guildmaster knew this all too well.
He nodded and shouted to the explorers.
"That's right, everyone! The guild is asking for all explorers to help stop the Stampede! Let's go! If we don't, the city will be destroyed!"
"""Yeahhh!!"""
We all rushed out of the meeting room.
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